Northwest Wines: Cheers to the holidays with affordable reds

If you wallet is feeling a little light from holiday spending, yet you still need to find a few bottles of wine for parties or a midweek meal, then there still are plenty of red wines to be found in the magical $15-and-under category.

Larger wine producers tend to dominate our lists of “best buy” wines because they can make wine in larger amounts, thus cutting costs in labor, equipment, grapes and bottles. That certainly is true in this column, with such companies as Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, Precept Wine and Milbrandt Vineyards crafting six of the nine wines reviewed here. All should be easy to track down at your favorite wine merchant.

Chateau Ste. Michelle 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $15: Aromas begin with a stroll through a North African spice market and past an espresso shop as it leads to hints of Hostess Berry Pie, Graham cracker and lime peel. On the pour, expect a youthful presentation of dark purple fruit, framed by restrained tannins, juicy acidity and finished with sarsaparilla.

Primarius Winery 2013 Pinot Noir, Oregon, $15: It’s remarkable to find an affordable Oregon Pinot Noir, and this is deliciously fruit-forward and opens with aromas of strawberry, red currant, cherry tomato and rose petal. On the palate, it takes a bright and elegant approach with cassis, white strawberry and raspberry, combining smooth tannins and pleasing acidity.

Ryan Patrick Vineyards 2013 Redhead Red, Columbia Valley, $10: Here is a blend dominated by Merlot and backed by Malbec and Syrah. Aromatic hints of blueberry, holiday spices and candela tobacco lead to an explosion of candied cherries, cranberry juice and blueberry taffy, which comes with a smooth mouth feel.

Strange Folk Wines NV Le Commandante Red Wine, Idaho, $7: Split Rail Winery near Boise has produced this, the Gem State’s first red wine in a can, a blend of Syrah, Counoise, Cinsault, Grenache and Mourvèdre. It opens with aromas of black cherry, dried strawberry and currant with hints of coffee, saddle leather and lime peel. It continues down that darker red fruit profile with Bing cherry, black currant and raspberry in the flavors.